Who are 12 people who have never been in my kitchen?
- Thread starter Norm
- Start date
...and a prettier version.
Limitless is also a movie with Bradley Cooper, which is where they got the series from. Pretty good movie.
I have to admit to liking the Unbreakable Kimmy Schmitt on Netfix. Its light fare, slapstick, cheap laughs kinda show.
Limitless is also a movie with Bradley Cooper, which is where they got the series from. Pretty good movie.
I have to admit to liking the Unbreakable Kimmy Schmitt on Netfix. Its light fare, slapstick, cheap laughs kinda show.
Sure it wasn't pr0nhub?
Shows (3 of 12)
Hockey. It is as much a show as anything else. It is a performance, for your eyes. It is a person/persons or a thing, that you watch and attempt to elicit something from. It could probably be called enjoyment. Maybe this collection of things should be called Enjoyments because at the end of the day, we are doing things that bring out some form of enjoyment. As a sign reads at my in-laws' cottage in Canada: Everyone brings joy to this house. Some when they come, and other when they leave.
Likewise, as a Rangers fan, enjoyment comes in the form of the Devils losing.
NHL: Montreal Canadians at New Jersey Devils
I think it was October when we bought these tickets. I also think there was red wine involved in the evening. D had mentioned that it is near impossible to get Canadians tickets in Montreal so we looked to see when & where they would be in the area. As it turns out, they were going to be playing in NJ on a Friday night when we have no kids. Without much hesitation we bought 2 tickets. I hadn't seen a hockey match in many years, and it seemed only right for us to go see the Canadians together.
Naturally you would think it would align to the Canadian rooting for the Canadians and the Jersey home-grown rooting for the Devils, but that would not be the case tonight. As a Ranger fan and true believer that Potvin Sucks, I would be more than happy to be pulling for the Habs on the evening. For those of you who are not real strong professional sports fans (as I used to be), the following things are generally true:
Yankees fans do not root for the Red Sox or the Mets
Rangers fans do not root for the Devils or Islanders
Cowboys fans do not root for the Giants, Eagles, Redskins, 49ers, Packers, and Steelers
Notre Dame fans do not root for anyone other than Notre Dame
There are many more. I always find it interesting when a Cubs fan will pull for the White Sox and vice versa. As a Yankees fan, you root for the Mets to lose. All 162 games. I expect nothing less from a Mets fan. This is what sports are supposed to be. Utterly meaningless nonsense like this because when I wake up and go to work on Monday, none of it matters so it might as well be irrational and extreme.
That was in another life though. These days, while I still find it hard to root for the Devils, in the end it really does not inspire the dislike as it used to. I suppose I let go of most of my hockey fandom in 1994 when the Rangers won the cup. In hindsight, it was the smart play. 23 years later we are still waiting for a repeat of that.
I digress. Coming into the game D took a pic of the Brodeur statue outside the Prudential Center.
As much as I never liked the Devils it was impossible not to admit that Brodeur was one of the greatest ever. Something that really tells you how good he was for so long is this sort of fact. He has won more games than any goalie ever, and lost more. You have to be really good for a really long time to lose more games than anyone ever.
Again, I digress. Having said that how much is there to write about this game? If you have never been to a hockey game it is probably the best sport in terms of how much better live hockey is versus TV hockey. Hockey on TV is really hard to follow as the camera is all over the place and it's hard to see anything outside of the focus cone. In person, you get to see how much these teams & players are coordinated on the ice. Any live sporting event is cool, but hockey is much better live than on TV. I understand why it's hard to sell hockey to a TV-loving generation.
Before the game started they did a lot of colorful things to try and get people worked up. For the most part, it didn't work. But the colors were neat and all that.
I think the Devils scored inside of 5 minutes which wasn't the best way to start the game for us. Shortly after, the Habs scored on a power play goal and the game remained tied 1-1 through the first period. The second period was pretty low-key and it makes you understand how hard these seasons probably are on these guys. They sort of went through the motions for much of the period and before you knew it there were 4 minutes left and not much had happened.
I remember reading a book a long time ago about how brutal the NFL season is, and how most of the players just want it to be over. I think it was called The Dark Side of the Game. In it, the author contends that many of the guys would rather go home than make the playoffs. This may help explain why teams on the bubble sometimes totally collapse at the end. I think they are mentally & physically exhausted. That seemed to be the case tonight.
I also now look at the game more pragmatically. Like, how do you live a normal life and play professional sports? As cool as it might seem to be able to go to Calgary or Dallas every week, it must be a real drag to do this week after week. The travel, the customs, the bags and moving and lack of comfort must get old. Add in that you are constantly moving around and having to live your life by deadlines and the luster must wear off real quickly.
Having said that it would be cool to have someone ship you off from city to city on a limited basis. Well, I guess unless that shipping involves Ohio.
The 3rd period was a bit better as both teams came out trying to make something happen. It was clear the Canadians were the better team and the Devils really had little going on for most of this game. At one point there was a boarding call and one of the Devils was called for a 5 minute major. There was a scuffle and a Canadian was given a 2 minute minor so it basically turned into a 3 minute power play for Montreal after the minor expired. The Habs scored 2 goals and that was that. The game ended at 3-1.
It was a bit of a surprise how many Montreal fans were here, but as D explained there really are a lot of French-Canadians living in the area and when the Canadians come to town it probably brings them all out of the woodwork. Plus, it's not really so far from Montreal for a road trip if you want to also spend some time in NYC. For any of those who made the trip, this was probably a good way for them to start the weekend.
In all I have to say the Prudential Center is really easy to get in & out of. Having made the drive 100s of times probably gives me a little advantage here but really it's pretty convenient to park and to get out after the event. It took us 45 minutes to drive, park, and get our seats before the game. After the game was slightly longer but not much. Certainly easier than going into the Garden to see the Rangers.
In all it was a good event and we were both happy we went. I imagine we will look to go to a game once a year or so because it's a fun event. Add in the fact the Devils lost and it was a great start to the weekend.
Hockey. It is as much a show as anything else. It is a performance, for your eyes. It is a person/persons or a thing, that you watch and attempt to elicit something from. It could probably be called enjoyment. Maybe this collection of things should be called Enjoyments because at the end of the day, we are doing things that bring out some form of enjoyment. As a sign reads at my in-laws' cottage in Canada: Everyone brings joy to this house. Some when they come, and other when they leave.
Likewise, as a Rangers fan, enjoyment comes in the form of the Devils losing.
NHL: Montreal Canadians at New Jersey Devils
I think it was October when we bought these tickets. I also think there was red wine involved in the evening. D had mentioned that it is near impossible to get Canadians tickets in Montreal so we looked to see when & where they would be in the area. As it turns out, they were going to be playing in NJ on a Friday night when we have no kids. Without much hesitation we bought 2 tickets. I hadn't seen a hockey match in many years, and it seemed only right for us to go see the Canadians together.
Naturally you would think it would align to the Canadian rooting for the Canadians and the Jersey home-grown rooting for the Devils, but that would not be the case tonight. As a Ranger fan and true believer that Potvin Sucks, I would be more than happy to be pulling for the Habs on the evening. For those of you who are not real strong professional sports fans (as I used to be), the following things are generally true:
Yankees fans do not root for the Red Sox or the Mets
Rangers fans do not root for the Devils or Islanders
Cowboys fans do not root for the Giants, Eagles, Redskins, 49ers, Packers, and Steelers
Notre Dame fans do not root for anyone other than Notre Dame
There are many more. I always find it interesting when a Cubs fan will pull for the White Sox and vice versa. As a Yankees fan, you root for the Mets to lose. All 162 games. I expect nothing less from a Mets fan. This is what sports are supposed to be. Utterly meaningless nonsense like this because when I wake up and go to work on Monday, none of it matters so it might as well be irrational and extreme.
That was in another life though. These days, while I still find it hard to root for the Devils, in the end it really does not inspire the dislike as it used to. I suppose I let go of most of my hockey fandom in 1994 when the Rangers won the cup. In hindsight, it was the smart play. 23 years later we are still waiting for a repeat of that.
I digress. Coming into the game D took a pic of the Brodeur statue outside the Prudential Center.
As much as I never liked the Devils it was impossible not to admit that Brodeur was one of the greatest ever. Something that really tells you how good he was for so long is this sort of fact. He has won more games than any goalie ever, and lost more. You have to be really good for a really long time to lose more games than anyone ever.
Again, I digress. Having said that how much is there to write about this game? If you have never been to a hockey game it is probably the best sport in terms of how much better live hockey is versus TV hockey. Hockey on TV is really hard to follow as the camera is all over the place and it's hard to see anything outside of the focus cone. In person, you get to see how much these teams & players are coordinated on the ice. Any live sporting event is cool, but hockey is much better live than on TV. I understand why it's hard to sell hockey to a TV-loving generation.
Before the game started they did a lot of colorful things to try and get people worked up. For the most part, it didn't work. But the colors were neat and all that.
I think the Devils scored inside of 5 minutes which wasn't the best way to start the game for us. Shortly after, the Habs scored on a power play goal and the game remained tied 1-1 through the first period. The second period was pretty low-key and it makes you understand how hard these seasons probably are on these guys. They sort of went through the motions for much of the period and before you knew it there were 4 minutes left and not much had happened.
I remember reading a book a long time ago about how brutal the NFL season is, and how most of the players just want it to be over. I think it was called The Dark Side of the Game. In it, the author contends that many of the guys would rather go home than make the playoffs. This may help explain why teams on the bubble sometimes totally collapse at the end. I think they are mentally & physically exhausted. That seemed to be the case tonight.
I also now look at the game more pragmatically. Like, how do you live a normal life and play professional sports? As cool as it might seem to be able to go to Calgary or Dallas every week, it must be a real drag to do this week after week. The travel, the customs, the bags and moving and lack of comfort must get old. Add in that you are constantly moving around and having to live your life by deadlines and the luster must wear off real quickly.
Having said that it would be cool to have someone ship you off from city to city on a limited basis. Well, I guess unless that shipping involves Ohio.
The 3rd period was a bit better as both teams came out trying to make something happen. It was clear the Canadians were the better team and the Devils really had little going on for most of this game. At one point there was a boarding call and one of the Devils was called for a 5 minute major. There was a scuffle and a Canadian was given a 2 minute minor so it basically turned into a 3 minute power play for Montreal after the minor expired. The Habs scored 2 goals and that was that. The game ended at 3-1.
It was a bit of a surprise how many Montreal fans were here, but as D explained there really are a lot of French-Canadians living in the area and when the Canadians come to town it probably brings them all out of the woodwork. Plus, it's not really so far from Montreal for a road trip if you want to also spend some time in NYC. For any of those who made the trip, this was probably a good way for them to start the weekend.
In all I have to say the Prudential Center is really easy to get in & out of. Having made the drive 100s of times probably gives me a little advantage here but really it's pretty convenient to park and to get out after the event. It took us 45 minutes to drive, park, and get our seats before the game. After the game was slightly longer but not much. Certainly easier than going into the Garden to see the Rangers.
In all it was a good event and we were both happy we went. I imagine we will look to go to a game once a year or so because it's a fun event. Add in the fact the Devils lost and it was a great start to the weekend.
rlb
Well-Known Member
My wife and I made a semi-random dinner pick this weekend and wound up at Efes on the corner of Easton and Somerset in NB. It's a Mediterranean place and it did not disappoint. As it turns out it was a **** $$ restaurant and I must say the food earned those 4 stars. The service was a little off, but not enough to prevent a return trip. When I have those types of dining related experiences I always wonder if it's a culture thing, or maybe they just stink sometimes. This would be a good place to go before a show at the Stress Factory. Food aside, I hadn't been to this area (recreationally) in quite a while. Maybe it's just me, or any RU grad for that matter, but coming back to this neighborhood begs an immediate comparison to my 20 year old self. I felt old, aside from the part where I said F this and paid $8 to park in a deck, rather than drive around in circles for 30 minutes looking for a place to park for free.
Anyway, the yelp stats made me think of this thread. Keep it in mind if you find yourself in the neighborhood.
Anyway, the yelp stats made me think of this thread. Keep it in mind if you find yourself in the neighborhood.
StayHydrated
Swedish Chef
ChrisG
Unapologetic Lifer for Rock and Roll
This.
I think @Norm left the wax paper under the mashed potatoes. Nice touch Norm, looks good. If you cooked meals like thst for me I would change bulbs too . (Inside joke)
Shows (4 of 12)
Back at it Saturday night. This will be a 3 part evening. A show at a restaurant with friends. I'll get to the food and people later, but I'm a little pressed for time today (going to #5 of 12 tonight but that's a blog for another day). So I'll pick the shortest of the 3 to talk about.
The SaRon Crenshaw Band
Few weeks earlier we were sitting on the couch drinking red wine, a place that seems to be the source of many of these ideas, and something struck me to suggest we go to Shanghai Jazz in Madison to have dinner with Sean & Anna. We had planned dinner some time ago and hadn't really figured out where we were going to go. It may have been something on TV that mad me think of it. I don't recall the details.
I have only been to a Jazz club once before and it was in either Bloomfield or Montclair. It's so long ago that I have almost no recollection of it other than remembering it was a really good time. When the thought struck me I got excited about going again and Shanghai Jazz seemed like a perfect fit. I have been past the place countless times but I had never really considered going. When I looked into it, turns out that Saturday nights have 2 seatings, an early and late. By the time I called only the late was available so we got the 8:30 seating.
The band was 4 players, the specifics of which I do not recall exactly but suffice it to say it was a Jazz Quartet. Or a Blues Quartet. I would say this probably was a bit of a Blues lean but really what's the difference. Here is the only pic I got of the band in action:
Seats were good and it was clear enough to see them but not too close to be overwhelmed by the volume. Performance was very good and I wouldn't hesitate to go see them again when they come around the second weekend in March if we're free. They play in the city all the time at a place called Terra Blues so if you really wanted to you could go check them out there. I don't think it would be a wasted trip.
I don't know how else to review a band to be perfectly honest. I guess this is sort of like my recap of how I would review beers: It was good, would drink again. The lead man (SaRon Crenshaw?) was easy to like and worked with the audience well. Music was good, easy to listen to, really enjoyable, and he did include the audience in at least 1 of the songs. To be sure it was enjoyable.
I will probably suggest we go check out another Jazz/Blues show at some point over the course of the year. As much as it would be cool to go into the city and see these guys play we generally like to try something new. In any event, this was yet another good piece of another good weekend for us.
Back at it Saturday night. This will be a 3 part evening. A show at a restaurant with friends. I'll get to the food and people later, but I'm a little pressed for time today (going to #5 of 12 tonight but that's a blog for another day). So I'll pick the shortest of the 3 to talk about.
The SaRon Crenshaw Band
Few weeks earlier we were sitting on the couch drinking red wine, a place that seems to be the source of many of these ideas, and something struck me to suggest we go to Shanghai Jazz in Madison to have dinner with Sean & Anna. We had planned dinner some time ago and hadn't really figured out where we were going to go. It may have been something on TV that mad me think of it. I don't recall the details.
I have only been to a Jazz club once before and it was in either Bloomfield or Montclair. It's so long ago that I have almost no recollection of it other than remembering it was a really good time. When the thought struck me I got excited about going again and Shanghai Jazz seemed like a perfect fit. I have been past the place countless times but I had never really considered going. When I looked into it, turns out that Saturday nights have 2 seatings, an early and late. By the time I called only the late was available so we got the 8:30 seating.
The band was 4 players, the specifics of which I do not recall exactly but suffice it to say it was a Jazz Quartet. Or a Blues Quartet. I would say this probably was a bit of a Blues lean but really what's the difference. Here is the only pic I got of the band in action:
Seats were good and it was clear enough to see them but not too close to be overwhelmed by the volume. Performance was very good and I wouldn't hesitate to go see them again when they come around the second weekend in March if we're free. They play in the city all the time at a place called Terra Blues so if you really wanted to you could go check them out there. I don't think it would be a wasted trip.
I don't know how else to review a band to be perfectly honest. I guess this is sort of like my recap of how I would review beers: It was good, would drink again. The lead man (SaRon Crenshaw?) was easy to like and worked with the audience well. Music was good, easy to listen to, really enjoyable, and he did include the audience in at least 1 of the songs. To be sure it was enjoyable.
I will probably suggest we go check out another Jazz/Blues show at some point over the course of the year. As much as it would be cool to go into the city and see these guys play we generally like to try something new. In any event, this was yet another good piece of another good weekend for us.
Last edited:
Friends (2 of 12)
Maybe the above should really read "friend" and be marked as 1.5 of 12, as only half of the party showed up. We also had a repeat of Friends #1 as Jolene and Rodney joined us for the dinner. We had mentioned our upcoming plans to them, and in the end it worked out for all of us to get together at Shanghai Jazz for dinner & music. On another note, I have been pretty jammed up with work, so I have been lax on getting these out. Right now I am 6 (or 7) posts in the hole. I have nothing coming up until next weekend so maybe I'll be able to catch up. You know, because user acceptance testing is starting this week so work should be totally quiet, right? Right?.....
Tall Sean (and not) Anna
For those of you who do not know tall Sean, let me introduce him:
This exceedingly close up image of him will surely cause him to text me with some sort of comment but I relish the feedback on how I present the people who freely choose to have meals with us for the rest of the year. I've already had 2 people comment about what I might potentially write about when we visit their houses. You can tell this experiment is early as we are still actually being invited to people's homes. By the end of the year I may be asking the mailman to come have lunch with me so I can get to my 12.
Anna (not pictured) was not able to make it because she was being socially responsible and standing around in Washington DC. Standing, as there were too many people to march. So it was The Great Loitering on Washington DC. I am going to not comment any further beyond that as this is not meant to be a political blog but suffice it to say the table tonight was on the same political page.
Like I mentioned, we had invited Jolene & Rodney to dinner. We knew this going into the dinner but both Sean and Jolene have former hooks to Hollywood. It was neat seeing them talk together about sleeping in cars in parking lots and such.
So who is Sean and how do we know him? Unlike our first friends' dinner of the year, we know Sean from the bike scene. Of course that comes as no surprise to anyone reading this. The fact we had dinner with anyone outside the bike scene is more of a surprise than us having dinner with people who have bikes. And to be accurate, Jolene & Rodney both ride (not like most of us) and like I said in the post when we had dinner together, they follow the Tour every year.
I don't remember exactly how I met Sean but I think Facebook recently told me that we became friends about 4 years ago. I am sure it was a result of the cross scene and that correlates to when I was racing a bunch and he was racing a bunch and we were all getting to know Sean. He was an easy mark as he was a) tall and b) vocally distinct. I am not telling you anything you don't already know.
His career is also something you probably know about. If not, go ahead and look him up on IMDB or YouTube. I think my favorite spot is the Rolling Rock commercial. I don't know why, especially since it's such a shitty beer. Anyway, Sean spent some amount of time in Hollywood and you can Google it to find out more. I don't know a lot of the "former life" stories off the top of my head but now & again Sean leaks out a little here and there which is enjoyable to listen to. Having said that, I couldn't put together a timeline of where he's been in what order. I do think the following places make up some of his history:
* Upstate NY, where "upstate" means "not NYC nor Long Island"
* Boston
* NYC
* Hollywood
* San Francisco
* Hillsborough
I am sure there are more and I don't know what order these are all supposed to go. But that paints some picture of something. Or maybe I got it all wrong and he's only ever lived in Somalia and Hillsborough.
The list of jobs that Sean has had are dinner party conversation material that goes a mile long. I believe taxi driver is one of the gems of that list.
At some point we became more than bike-friendly with Sean and his wife Anna. It may have been a party they had at their house when we said we needed to get together in a non-group, smaller setting. I will say 2 things that don't exactly work together but here goes. I like a big group gathering as much as the next guy but at the same time, I dislike them in the fact that you really can't have much meaningful conversation with people at a big gathering.
The first time we got together with them was at their house and I remember it was warm out and we sat in the back and had dinner. The topic of the podcast came up way back then, and I had offered at the time to co-host as I had a wealth of podcast experience at 5am talking into a microphone while riding my bike in the dark. Sean thought it was a great idea and we were going to get right on it, which of course we didn't do. But the seed had been planted.
The next time we had dinner it was at the Stirling Hotel, where we met some friends of theirs. Rather, the wife of the couple was a friend of Anna and her husband was an unknown quantity. For fear of random retribution I will say that the unknown quantity ended up being...well, better left unknown. It was memorable and I imagine it will be a running joke over time between us. After dinner we went out back and played some version of bocce ball where I wrecked house. I think it was that night we talked a little bit more about the podcast.
So we started it up and if you haven't listened to it, you are either shorting yourself on a miasma of entertainment, or saving your precious ears from audio massacre. I leave that assessment as an exercise to the reader.
Anyway, that's a brief history of how we ended up being in the same spot at the same time last Saturday night in Madison.
Here is a picture of D and myself. I was trying to make a stupid face at the camera but it looks a little more crazy than goofy. D thinks I should cut her out but I like this picture of her and I would cut myself out. Combining the 2 ideas, I shall leave us both in.
And finally, the full cast of dinner. At the end of the day I think I will demand that we have dinner with them again to make it an official "Sean & Anna" to put on the list. Until then, we stand at 1.5 of 12 for this bucket item.
Maybe the above should really read "friend" and be marked as 1.5 of 12, as only half of the party showed up. We also had a repeat of Friends #1 as Jolene and Rodney joined us for the dinner. We had mentioned our upcoming plans to them, and in the end it worked out for all of us to get together at Shanghai Jazz for dinner & music. On another note, I have been pretty jammed up with work, so I have been lax on getting these out. Right now I am 6 (or 7) posts in the hole. I have nothing coming up until next weekend so maybe I'll be able to catch up. You know, because user acceptance testing is starting this week so work should be totally quiet, right? Right?.....
Tall Sean (and not) Anna
For those of you who do not know tall Sean, let me introduce him:
This exceedingly close up image of him will surely cause him to text me with some sort of comment but I relish the feedback on how I present the people who freely choose to have meals with us for the rest of the year. I've already had 2 people comment about what I might potentially write about when we visit their houses. You can tell this experiment is early as we are still actually being invited to people's homes. By the end of the year I may be asking the mailman to come have lunch with me so I can get to my 12.
Anna (not pictured) was not able to make it because she was being socially responsible and standing around in Washington DC. Standing, as there were too many people to march. So it was The Great Loitering on Washington DC. I am going to not comment any further beyond that as this is not meant to be a political blog but suffice it to say the table tonight was on the same political page.
Like I mentioned, we had invited Jolene & Rodney to dinner. We knew this going into the dinner but both Sean and Jolene have former hooks to Hollywood. It was neat seeing them talk together about sleeping in cars in parking lots and such.
So who is Sean and how do we know him? Unlike our first friends' dinner of the year, we know Sean from the bike scene. Of course that comes as no surprise to anyone reading this. The fact we had dinner with anyone outside the bike scene is more of a surprise than us having dinner with people who have bikes. And to be accurate, Jolene & Rodney both ride (not like most of us) and like I said in the post when we had dinner together, they follow the Tour every year.
I don't remember exactly how I met Sean but I think Facebook recently told me that we became friends about 4 years ago. I am sure it was a result of the cross scene and that correlates to when I was racing a bunch and he was racing a bunch and we were all getting to know Sean. He was an easy mark as he was a) tall and b) vocally distinct. I am not telling you anything you don't already know.
His career is also something you probably know about. If not, go ahead and look him up on IMDB or YouTube. I think my favorite spot is the Rolling Rock commercial. I don't know why, especially since it's such a shitty beer. Anyway, Sean spent some amount of time in Hollywood and you can Google it to find out more. I don't know a lot of the "former life" stories off the top of my head but now & again Sean leaks out a little here and there which is enjoyable to listen to. Having said that, I couldn't put together a timeline of where he's been in what order. I do think the following places make up some of his history:
* Upstate NY, where "upstate" means "not NYC nor Long Island"
* Boston
* NYC
* Hollywood
* San Francisco
* Hillsborough
I am sure there are more and I don't know what order these are all supposed to go. But that paints some picture of something. Or maybe I got it all wrong and he's only ever lived in Somalia and Hillsborough.
The list of jobs that Sean has had are dinner party conversation material that goes a mile long. I believe taxi driver is one of the gems of that list.
At some point we became more than bike-friendly with Sean and his wife Anna. It may have been a party they had at their house when we said we needed to get together in a non-group, smaller setting. I will say 2 things that don't exactly work together but here goes. I like a big group gathering as much as the next guy but at the same time, I dislike them in the fact that you really can't have much meaningful conversation with people at a big gathering.
The first time we got together with them was at their house and I remember it was warm out and we sat in the back and had dinner. The topic of the podcast came up way back then, and I had offered at the time to co-host as I had a wealth of podcast experience at 5am talking into a microphone while riding my bike in the dark. Sean thought it was a great idea and we were going to get right on it, which of course we didn't do. But the seed had been planted.
The next time we had dinner it was at the Stirling Hotel, where we met some friends of theirs. Rather, the wife of the couple was a friend of Anna and her husband was an unknown quantity. For fear of random retribution I will say that the unknown quantity ended up being...well, better left unknown. It was memorable and I imagine it will be a running joke over time between us. After dinner we went out back and played some version of bocce ball where I wrecked house. I think it was that night we talked a little bit more about the podcast.
So we started it up and if you haven't listened to it, you are either shorting yourself on a miasma of entertainment, or saving your precious ears from audio massacre. I leave that assessment as an exercise to the reader.
Anyway, that's a brief history of how we ended up being in the same spot at the same time last Saturday night in Madison.
Here is a picture of D and myself. I was trying to make a stupid face at the camera but it looks a little more crazy than goofy. D thinks I should cut her out but I like this picture of her and I would cut myself out. Combining the 2 ideas, I shall leave us both in.
And finally, the full cast of dinner. At the end of the day I think I will demand that we have dinner with them again to make it an official "Sean & Anna" to put on the list. Until then, we stand at 1.5 of 12 for this bucket item.
Finally caught up, nicely done...
Oh and If nazi Germany had an NFL team called the Berlin blitzkrieg... And their helmets had giant picture of Hitler on the side of it... I would still route like hell for them to beat the Cowboys, then bake Jerry Jones in an oven. ☺️
Oh and If nazi Germany had an NFL team called the Berlin blitzkrieg... And their helmets had giant picture of Hitler on the side of it... I would still route like hell for them to beat the Cowboys, then bake Jerry Jones in an oven. ☺️
Restaurants (3 of 12)
This entry completes the 3 part evening where we saw a live show, hung out with friends, and ate at a 4-star, 2-$ place.
Shanghai Jazz
One has to wonder how a place like this adds up when all is said and done. I say this for a few reasons. First of all, you are in a music club of sorts. While this is not necessarily a hole-in-the-wall dive where musicians come to earn their keep, it is a genuine place where music is a huge part of the experience. Second, I find in wealthier places the food sometimes tends to be overpriced because the people going there have more disposable cash. It's a general observation, not strictly true.
So: is this place Chinese or what? A look at the menu tells you that it's kind of everything. I know I've beaten the drum about my time in Asia before but I can say that the food options here were not merely Chinese. Like many Asian places that cater to white people these days, the menu becomes a mish-mash of things that are of non-Western origin. This isn't bad, per se. But there is some adage about being good at everything and great at nothing.
Truth be told, if I want authentic Chinese I go to Chinatown and eat with the dirty chopsticks, illegal workers, and cockroaches. FDA be damned, that's often some of the best stuff.
Anyway.
The owner, he was awesome. Later he would tell us that they've been there for 21 years and it was clear from the moment we started talking to him he was thoroughly in love with his job. I know I said on a previous post that servers are there to more or less not screw up the meal but in this venue I think the owner being a nice guy and really into the whole thing made it better for me. I asked him what his favorite dish on the menu was and he gave me his opinion, which was not the most expensive thing on the menu. Usually without fail, when you ask an owner what to get they suggest the $40 lobster option. Not the case tonight.
The fact he had a sense of humor was good too. At the end of the night when the meal and show were over, he brought us 5 cordials to drink on the house. As much as we enjoyed talking to him I think he enjoyed talking to us as well. It really makes the experience of the meal & show that much better when you have that kind of interaction.
For the appetizer we got the dim sum platter for 5. It was good enough but I would not say this was the highlight of the meal. Good way to start things, though I wouldn't order it again.
D got a Thai curry of some sort and I thought that was really good. While not what I would come to a Chinese place for, it was super tasty. I think these Thai curries are easy to get right and a lot of white people use them as their gateway food to Asian cuisine (General Tso notwithstanding).
I went with the owner's suggestion which was the Three Chili Chicken. It is labelled as "spicy" but as anyone who has had real Chinese spice, or Szechuan spice knows, there is a difference between authentic spicy and what you can get away with serving at a restaurant in Madison, NJ. The taste on this was good, I would recommend it to anyone going here. Solid dish (though I would ask for it more spicy next time).
Any authentic Asian place is going to have decent vegetables to eat with your meal and I was pleasantly surprised that they had something that was good. Typically an Asian meal will always have something that looks like this on the table. I enjoyed this though I do not think everyone at the table did.
Overall I would say it's good, not great. Am I putting this as worthy of 4 stars? I don't think so. It was good for sure, and I would go back and order the same thing and know I was getting a decent meal out of it. And while I say this, I will also say there is a near 100% chance I will go back to this restaurant one day, because the place is really so much more than somewhere to eat dinner.
I can't really review this in terms of just the food alone because the price of the music is included in the meal. In the end it wasn't a cheap dinner but if you were to go to NYC and get a meal and see a show I imagine it would cost us double of what this meal was. If you are into the music, I would have to say that you really can't go wrong with this place.
This entry completes the 3 part evening where we saw a live show, hung out with friends, and ate at a 4-star, 2-$ place.
Shanghai Jazz
One has to wonder how a place like this adds up when all is said and done. I say this for a few reasons. First of all, you are in a music club of sorts. While this is not necessarily a hole-in-the-wall dive where musicians come to earn their keep, it is a genuine place where music is a huge part of the experience. Second, I find in wealthier places the food sometimes tends to be overpriced because the people going there have more disposable cash. It's a general observation, not strictly true.
So: is this place Chinese or what? A look at the menu tells you that it's kind of everything. I know I've beaten the drum about my time in Asia before but I can say that the food options here were not merely Chinese. Like many Asian places that cater to white people these days, the menu becomes a mish-mash of things that are of non-Western origin. This isn't bad, per se. But there is some adage about being good at everything and great at nothing.
Truth be told, if I want authentic Chinese I go to Chinatown and eat with the dirty chopsticks, illegal workers, and cockroaches. FDA be damned, that's often some of the best stuff.
Anyway.
The owner, he was awesome. Later he would tell us that they've been there for 21 years and it was clear from the moment we started talking to him he was thoroughly in love with his job. I know I said on a previous post that servers are there to more or less not screw up the meal but in this venue I think the owner being a nice guy and really into the whole thing made it better for me. I asked him what his favorite dish on the menu was and he gave me his opinion, which was not the most expensive thing on the menu. Usually without fail, when you ask an owner what to get they suggest the $40 lobster option. Not the case tonight.
The fact he had a sense of humor was good too. At the end of the night when the meal and show were over, he brought us 5 cordials to drink on the house. As much as we enjoyed talking to him I think he enjoyed talking to us as well. It really makes the experience of the meal & show that much better when you have that kind of interaction.
For the appetizer we got the dim sum platter for 5. It was good enough but I would not say this was the highlight of the meal. Good way to start things, though I wouldn't order it again.
D got a Thai curry of some sort and I thought that was really good. While not what I would come to a Chinese place for, it was super tasty. I think these Thai curries are easy to get right and a lot of white people use them as their gateway food to Asian cuisine (General Tso notwithstanding).
I went with the owner's suggestion which was the Three Chili Chicken. It is labelled as "spicy" but as anyone who has had real Chinese spice, or Szechuan spice knows, there is a difference between authentic spicy and what you can get away with serving at a restaurant in Madison, NJ. The taste on this was good, I would recommend it to anyone going here. Solid dish (though I would ask for it more spicy next time).
Any authentic Asian place is going to have decent vegetables to eat with your meal and I was pleasantly surprised that they had something that was good. Typically an Asian meal will always have something that looks like this on the table. I enjoyed this though I do not think everyone at the table did.
Overall I would say it's good, not great. Am I putting this as worthy of 4 stars? I don't think so. It was good for sure, and I would go back and order the same thing and know I was getting a decent meal out of it. And while I say this, I will also say there is a near 100% chance I will go back to this restaurant one day, because the place is really so much more than somewhere to eat dinner.
I can't really review this in terms of just the food alone because the price of the music is included in the meal. In the end it wasn't a cheap dinner but if you were to go to NYC and get a meal and see a show I imagine it would cost us double of what this meal was. If you are into the music, I would have to say that you really can't go wrong with this place.
Books (1 of 12)
So now that we're on the first book review, I'll address the @Carson comment about Sirens of Titan. I can't say I'm surprised you didn't like it. I don't make that comment specific to that book. But what I have seen over years of reading books and talking books with people, you will never be fully in line with anyone out there when it comes to books. 2 people can love the same 10 books but on the 11th, 1 person will love it and another will hate it. I also feel the time period makes a big difference with a book. Add it all up, and I'll never be surprised if someone I know loves (or hates) a book I hate (or love). A lot of the Vonnegut stuff I originally read up to 20 years ago. I honestly can't remember much about the time period when I read it.
@StayHydrated - you mentioned not being able to read as much as you want. I try to just commit to ~10 pages a day. Depending on the book that can be 10 minutes, or 30 if it's something deep. But really if I just try and do 10 minutes before I go to bed (as opposed to playing stupid games on my phone) I end up reading more, and making time to read more.
Anyway, books.
American Gods
Ok first off, I got glasses this year.
Over the past year my vision has been getting worse and worse and my book has gotten further and further from my face when I read at night. Finally I sprung on some top of the line, 5 dollar, Home Depot specials. There's a sticker on them that says 1.5, which means something or other. I refuse to take it off because it's like flair, not unlike wearing a pin at TGI Fridays.
So now I can see better. And I don't have to hold the book 2 feet away. Having said that, I am still getting used to these and sometimes they give me a little headache.
For this exercise I am trying to read books that I would call "more meaningful". Now this isn't to say I won't read some books that qualify as trash. But it will be trash that I have been meaning to read. The first book I finished was started before the new year so I didn't really choose it for this list. It was inherited but it does qualify as "meaningful" because Gaiman has been on my RADAR for a while. We started watching a show that is based on something he wrote (Sandman), then recently I heard his name mentioned on a podcast I was listening to when they referenced the show of the same name.
So I picked up the book.
My initial thought on finishing the book was....eh. It was a good enough read, but it never really drew me in that much and I never felt compelled to pick it up overly much. It wasn't a case where I ever thought about not finishing it. And I always had no problem reading it at night. But except for a few times, I pretty much just stuck to my 10-15 pages in any given night and never really saw too much of where the book was meant to go. The point of the book is more or less the title - American Gods. But the book didn't paint an enjoyable enough story for me to love it. Some pretty good stuff, some ok stuff. In all, ok-to-pretty-good is a fair review.
If you check any of the review sites you're read a recap that talks about representations of what are and what were American gods. You can probably read a thousand pages online about what the book is or what it represents, but I wasn't really drawn in enough by the book to care that much. Again, the story wasn't bad but I wasn't in love with it. Having said that, I will look into the TV show to see if it's any good.
Still, when the book was over I did find myself wondering what Shadow (the main character) was up to now. And if there was a sequel to it, I would probably pick it up and put it on my stack of too-many books. So that's a positive. Maybe one day I will pick up another Gaiman book, maybe I won't. Who knows, I may have one sitting in my book case waiting to be read. I really don't know.
So: American Gods - could do worse, could do better. Read it at your own risk.
So now that we're on the first book review, I'll address the @Carson comment about Sirens of Titan. I can't say I'm surprised you didn't like it. I don't make that comment specific to that book. But what I have seen over years of reading books and talking books with people, you will never be fully in line with anyone out there when it comes to books. 2 people can love the same 10 books but on the 11th, 1 person will love it and another will hate it. I also feel the time period makes a big difference with a book. Add it all up, and I'll never be surprised if someone I know loves (or hates) a book I hate (or love). A lot of the Vonnegut stuff I originally read up to 20 years ago. I honestly can't remember much about the time period when I read it.
@StayHydrated - you mentioned not being able to read as much as you want. I try to just commit to ~10 pages a day. Depending on the book that can be 10 minutes, or 30 if it's something deep. But really if I just try and do 10 minutes before I go to bed (as opposed to playing stupid games on my phone) I end up reading more, and making time to read more.
Anyway, books.
American Gods
Ok first off, I got glasses this year.
Over the past year my vision has been getting worse and worse and my book has gotten further and further from my face when I read at night. Finally I sprung on some top of the line, 5 dollar, Home Depot specials. There's a sticker on them that says 1.5, which means something or other. I refuse to take it off because it's like flair, not unlike wearing a pin at TGI Fridays.
So now I can see better. And I don't have to hold the book 2 feet away. Having said that, I am still getting used to these and sometimes they give me a little headache.
For this exercise I am trying to read books that I would call "more meaningful". Now this isn't to say I won't read some books that qualify as trash. But it will be trash that I have been meaning to read. The first book I finished was started before the new year so I didn't really choose it for this list. It was inherited but it does qualify as "meaningful" because Gaiman has been on my RADAR for a while. We started watching a show that is based on something he wrote (Sandman), then recently I heard his name mentioned on a podcast I was listening to when they referenced the show of the same name.
So I picked up the book.
My initial thought on finishing the book was....eh. It was a good enough read, but it never really drew me in that much and I never felt compelled to pick it up overly much. It wasn't a case where I ever thought about not finishing it. And I always had no problem reading it at night. But except for a few times, I pretty much just stuck to my 10-15 pages in any given night and never really saw too much of where the book was meant to go. The point of the book is more or less the title - American Gods. But the book didn't paint an enjoyable enough story for me to love it. Some pretty good stuff, some ok stuff. In all, ok-to-pretty-good is a fair review.
If you check any of the review sites you're read a recap that talks about representations of what are and what were American gods. You can probably read a thousand pages online about what the book is or what it represents, but I wasn't really drawn in enough by the book to care that much. Again, the story wasn't bad but I wasn't in love with it. Having said that, I will look into the TV show to see if it's any good.
Still, when the book was over I did find myself wondering what Shadow (the main character) was up to now. And if there was a sequel to it, I would probably pick it up and put it on my stack of too-many books. So that's a positive. Maybe one day I will pick up another Gaiman book, maybe I won't. Who knows, I may have one sitting in my book case waiting to be read. I really don't know.
So: American Gods - could do worse, could do better. Read it at your own risk.